Super 16: Sabres rejoin power rankings

The Buffalo Sabres are back in the weekly Super 16 power rankings largely because of captain Jack Eichel's point streak.

Eichel has 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) in a career-long 17-game point streak, the longest point streak by any player in the NHL this season.
The Sabres, who enter the rankings at No. 16 for the first time since they were No. 9 six weeks ago (Nov. 7), have earned 16 standings points since Nov. 24 (6-3-4).
The Washington Capitals are No. 1 again, falling one voting point short of being the unanimous selection. The Pittsburgh Penguins made the biggest jump, moving up five spots to No. 7. The Vegas Golden Knights moved up four spots to No. 10.
The Edmonton Oilers (No. 12) and Philadelphia Flyers (No. 13) both dropped four spots.
To create the power rankings, each of the 13 participating staff members puts together his or her version of what the Super 16 should look like. Those are submitted and a point total is assigned to each.
The team picked first is given 16 points, second gets 15, third gets 14 and so on down to No. 16, which gets one point.
Here is the latest Super 16:

1. Washington Capitals (24-6-5)

Total points: 207
Last week: No. 1
Hit: The Capitals 5-2 win at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday gave them 15 wins in their first 18 road games, tying the NHL record for fewest games to 15 road victories, originally set by the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres.
Miss: They are 2-for-19 on the power play (10.5 percent) in their past seven games.

2. Boston Bruins (21-7-7)

Total points: 190
Last week: No. 2
Hit: Patrice Bergeron has three goals in five games since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for seven straight games and nine of the previous 11.
Miss: The Bruins have one win in their past seven games (1-4-2), including going winless in four games (0-2-2) against teams that are not currently in a Stanley Cup Playoff position (Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings).

3. St. Louis Blues (22-8-6)

Total points: 182
Last week: No. 5
Hit: David Perron has at least one point in 21 of 29 games since Oct. 19. The forward leads the Blues with 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists).
Miss: The Blues are 0-3 in games decided in a shootout.

4. Colorado Avalanche (22-9-3)

Total points: 162
Last week: No. 3
Hit: The Avalanche have the most wins in games when leading after the second period (17) and are No. 1 in the League in goals-against in the third period (23).
Miss: Rookie defenseman Cale Makar has missed five straight games with an upper-body injury.

5. New York Islanders (22-8-2)

Total points: 157
Last week: No. 4
Hit: The Islanders have the League's best winning percentage in one-goal games (.786, 11-1-2). The one regulation loss came on opening night against the Capitals (2-1).
Miss: Their 8-3 loss against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday was their first regulation loss of the season in a game in which they scored three goals (19-1-1). It was the most goals they allowed in 122 games under coach Barry Trotz, including eight in the playoffs last season.

6. Carolina Hurricanes (21-11-2)

Total points: 141
Last week: No. 7
Hit: The Hurricanes are one of three teams in the League, along with the Capitals and Bruins, who are at least plus-4 in goal differential in every period. They are plus-4 in the first period (38-34), plus-11 in the second (38-27) and plus-5 in the third (31-26).
Miss: Nothing right now because they're 5-0-1 in their past six games with goals from 12 different players, including seven from forward Sebastian Aho.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins (20-10-4)

Total points: 122
Last week: No. 12
Hit: The Penguins are 10-4-3 in 17 games since captain Sidney Crosby (core muscle surgery) last played. Forwards Evgeni Malkin (23 points; seven goals, 16 assists) and Jake Guentzel (22 points; nine goals, 13 assists) have led the Penguins without Crosby, who is back on the ice skating on his own. Goalie Tristan Jarry is 9-2-0 with a .944 save percentage and 1.71 goals-against average since Crosby went out of the lineup.
Miss: Defenseman Justin Schultz sustained a lower-body injury in the Penguins 4-1 win at the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. He missed seven games from Nov. 21-Dec. 4 because of injury.

8. Winnipeg Jets (20-12-2)

Total points: 112
Last week: No. 6
Hit: Blake Wheeler needs one point to tie Ilya Kovalchuk for the most points in franchise history. Kovalchuk had 615 points (328 goals, 287 assists) in 594 games with the Atlanta Thrashers; Wheeler has 614 points (201 goals, 413 assists) in 673 games with the Thrashers/Jets.
Miss: The Jets are 2-for-7 on the penalty kill in their past three games. They are 30th in the League on the PK at 73.4 percent.

9. Arizona Coyotes (20-12-4)

Total points: 110
Last week: No. 10
Hit: Forward Taylor Hall, acquired in a trade from the New Jersey Devils on Monday, had an assist on defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson's game-winning goal in the Coyotes 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. It was the Coyotes' 10th win in their past 14 road games (10-2-2). They are 12-4-3 on the road this season and their 27 road points are second in the NHL behind the Capitals' 31.
Miss: Ekman-Larsson's goal was Arizona's 23rd in the third period this season. They are 30th in the League in third-period goals for.

10. Vegas Golden Knights (19-13-5)

Total points: 87
Last week: No. 14
Hit: Forward Mark Stone has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in a five-game point streak, including three straight multi-point games.
Miss: Paul Stastny has two points, both assists, in the past 10 games and five points (three goals, two assists) in 24 games since Oct. 31. The center had nine points (five goals, four assists) in the first 13 games.

11. Dallas Stars (19-12-4)

Total points: 77
Last week: No. 11
Hit: The Stars are 20-for-21 (95.2 percent) with one shorthanded goal for on the penalty kill in their past seven games.
Miss: They are 0-for-12 on the power play in the past four games.

12. Edmonton Oilers (19-14-4)

Total points: 61
Last week: No. 8
Hit: The Oilers had at least one power-play goal in eight straight games prior to their 2-1 loss at St. Louis on Wednesday. The power play was 10-for-30 (33.3 percent) during the streak.
Miss: James Neal's goal on Wednesday was his fifth in 23 games since Nov. 2. The forward had 11 goals in 14 games in October.

13. Philadelphia Flyers (18-11-5)

Total points: 49
Last week: No. 9
Hit: Travis Konecny returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing three games with a concussion and had an assist in a 4-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks, giving the forward five points (three goals, two assists) in his past five games.
Miss: Forward Scott Laughton was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a groin injury. Laughton, who has missed two straight games, had six points (four goals, two assists) in his previous eight games since Nov. 27 before sustaining the injury.

14. Calgary Flames (18-14-4)

Total points: 32
Last week: No. 13
Hit: Johnny Gaudreau has four goals in the past four games after the forward scored one in the previous 13 games.
Miss: The Flames are shooting 5.3 percent in the first period (19 goals on 358 shots). They have the fewest goals in the League in the first period.

15. Tampa Bay Lightning (17-12-3)

Total points: 28
Last week: No. 16
Hit: Nikita Kucherov is nearing milestones. The forward needs one goal to reach 200 in the NHL and two assists to get to 300. He is three points away from 500. Kucherov has 497 points (199 goals, 298 assists) in 478 games.
Miss: Kucherov, who won the Hart Trophy voted as NHL most valuable player last season, also did not play in the final 17:27 of regulation or at all in overtime in the Lightning's 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. It was considered a coach's decision.

16. Buffalo Sabres (16-12-7)

Total points: 15
Last week: NR
Hit: Eichel's point streak is tied for second longest in Sabres history with Dave Andreychuk, who had points in 17 straight games in the 1991-92 season and again in 1992-93. The center has a team-high 50 points (24 goals, 26 assists) in 35 games.
Miss: Jeff Skinner has one point, an assist, and a minus-7 rating in the past seven games. The forward has eight points (four goals, four assists) and a minus-8 rating in 22 games since Nov. 1.

Others receiving points: Nashville Predators 14, Toronto Maple Leafs 8, Florida Panthers 6, Minnesota Wild 6, Montreal Canadiens 2
Dropped out: Panthers (No. 15)
HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM
AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Washington Capitals; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. New York Islanders; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Arizona Coyotes; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Philadelphia Flyers; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Tampa Bay Lightning; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. St. Louis Blues; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. New York Islanders; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Arizona Coyotes; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Buffalo Sabres; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Tampa Bay Lightning; 16. Montreal Canadiens
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Washington Capitals; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. New York Islanders; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. Arizona Coyotes; 11. Calgary Flames; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Buffalo Sabres; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Washington Capitals; 2. New York Islanders; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Arizona Coyotes; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Florida Panthers
TOM GULITTI
1. Washington Capitals; 2. St. Louis Blues; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. New York Islanders; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Arizona Coyotes; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Philadelphia Flyers; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Buffalo Sabres; 16. Tampa Bay Lightning
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Washington Capitals; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. St. Louis Blues; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Arizona Coyotes; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. Buffalo Sabres; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Nashville Predators
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Washington Capitals; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. New York Islanders; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Arizona Coyotes; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Philadelphia Flyers; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. Tampa Bay Lightning
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Washington Capitals; 2. St. Louis Blues; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. New York Islanders; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Arizona Coyotes; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Florida Panthers
TRACEY MYERS
1. Washington Capitals; 2. St. Louis Blues; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. New York Islanders; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Arizona Coyotes; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Buffalo Sabres; 16. Montreal Canadiens
BILL PRICE
1. Washington Capitals; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. St. Louis Blues; 4. New York Islanders; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Arizona Coyotes; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Nashville Predators; 15. Tampa Bay Lightning; 16. Buffalo Sabres
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Washington Capitals; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. St. Louis Blues; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. New York Islanders; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Arizona Coyotes; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Winnipeg Jets; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Buffalo Sabres
DAN ROSEN
1. Washington Capitals; 2. St. Louis Blues; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. New York Islanders; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Arizona Coyotes; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. Edmonton Oilers
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Washington Capitals; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. St. Louis Blues; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. New York Islanders; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. Arizona Coyotes; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs